Clinton stumps for Dems during UC Davis rally

Former president stumps for House races

UPDATED 7:56 PM PDT Oct 09, 2012

DAVIS, Calif. -

Former President Bill Clinton appeared with four California Democratic congressional candidates at a UC Davis rally Tuesday, illustrating the competitiveness created by the state's independently drawn political boundaries.

Years of state budget cuts have led to soaring tuition and reduced course offerings at California's two- and four-year colleges.

Undergraduate tuition in the UC system is $12,191 this year, not including room, board, books or campus fees.

Like many of the students at Tuesday's rally, Mirelez, a registered Democrat, will be voting in her first presidential election this November.

Sachin Radhakrishnan, 21, who is registered independent and has not yet decided who he will vote for as president, said hearing Clinton was nonetheless appealing and is likely to be one of the biggest events on campus this fall.

He said his father gave him one of Clinton's books to read when he was younger.

"He's able to draw a crowd, conservatives and liberals ... It's just that universal appeal," said Radhakrishnan, of Cupertino.

Monica Brown was the first person to grab a front-row seat to the rally, arriving three hours early.

Brown is a teacher in Fairfield and brought papers to grade while she waited for the event to begin.

"I’m here to see President Clinton. I love President Clinton. I supported Hillary when she ran in 2008 and would have loved to had her as our first woman president," Brown said.

Student Jeffrey Graham didn't want to miss his chance to see Clinton in person after being moved by his speech at the Democratic National Convention.

"I’m especially interested in renewable energy. I want to go into a career that helps that out," Graham said.

Among those facing a new electorate this year is Garamendi, a Democratic incumbent who is running in a newly drawn district that stretches north of the state capital.

While the former state lawmaker and attorney general has high name recognition, he is locked in a tight race with Republican challenger Kim Vann, a 37-year-old county supervisor and member of a local ranching family.

In the San Joaquin Valley to the south, Democrats have been on the attack against Republican Ricky Gill, a 25-year-old law school graduate who works for his family business in Lodi and has substantial financial support from well-connected Republicans and the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Gill has attempted to paint McNerney as a pawn of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, while McNerney criticizes the Republican's lack of real-world work experience.

The districts drawn by the voter-approved independent citizens redistricting commission are in effect on a statewide scale for the first time this year.

The new process ended decades of legislative gerrymandering that created safe districts for incumbents and led to little turnover.

Copyright 2012 by KCRA and The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.